She Will Be Loved
by JaceHeronduck
Summary: Jace POV. There was never a Clace, because Jace couldn't afford to lose their friendship. But when Clary is met with a problem, it leaves Jace to pick up the horribly broken pieces. But with this type of problem, a relationship is almost needed, to spare the innocent little... problem. Clace. Short multi-chapter that won't disapoint. All Human, Modern. Language, tense subjects.
1. Chapter 1

**This is the fixed chapter, just fixed it, if u don't know what the problem was, just ignore this and keep reading, but if u saw the other version of ch. 1, sorry, read this one to understand it better :/... anyway, please review! :3**

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The bass pumps through the car, a fast but steady heartbeat. I laugh at the girl sitting next to me, bobbing her head and lip syncing like a fan girl alone in her room. Her red hair is straightened to perfection and currently slapping me in the face. "Clare!" I laugh.

The girl stops and grins at me before whipping her hair at me again. "You told me to leave it down." She defends.

I run a hand through my blonde curls and settle it back on the steering wheel. Un-like Clary's classy clothes, I wear a white T-shirt and black basketball shorts with my black running shoes. Clary wears a baby blue tank and peach colored jeans and flats. Like usual, I'm only her chauffeur, delivering her at the door of wherever she wants to be. Jace's Taxi Service is what Clary calls it, and I've been in the business for three years, the moment I got my drivers' license. Clary didn't want to start driving anytime soon. "I'll get my license when everyone I know dies." She had said teasingly, almost two years ago. That was also the year she'd started dating Simon Lewis. Yes, I say Simon Lewis in more of a _Simon Lewis_ way. I don't like the kid. What so ever. He's dated six girls within the last year, and no doubt has hooked up with at least four of them. But, as a good best friend since birth, I keep my jaw clamped and a smile on, supporting Clary whenever, and whatever, she needs it for. People, like my adoptive sister, Izzy, call my attitude towards him jealousy, but I call it being protective of my friend. Would I date Clare? Sure, if she needed someone to be there for her in a more-than-friends way, but other than that, I try not to think about any of that. I've ruined a lot of friendships because of unwanted feelings from either side. And not necessarily only the girl gender conflict.

I shake away the memory of my adoptive brother, Alec. It wasn't because I was his adoptive brother, because technically we weren't blood related, it's just; I'm not into that type. Alec was heartbroken and a little angry, and now we avoid each other as much as possible.

Clary punches my arm. "It's green, loser." She shouts over the music.

I turn down the main street to Simon's loft. That was another thing. Clary didn't need to go to a boys loft that he owns by himself. Clary told me it was a gift for graduation, which was used well since he quit college. I sigh. I can't judge, I'm just getting a basic education with Clary at the community college, but at least I'm furthering my education.

Clary reaches over the center console and rubs the spot between my eyebrows. She knows I get wrinkles when I'm stressed or worried. "Jace, what's wrong?" she asks, turning down Maroon 5's _Lucky Strike_.

I sigh. "I don't have a good feeling about him Clare. Could you at least encourage him to go to a college, or get a job and stop depending on his mother?" I ask.

Clary sighs in reply. "Jace, you know about his learning disability." She says softly, as if he might actually be in the back seat.

I nod with a huff, holding my tongue. When he was a junior, he got permission to only taking the four basic classes instead of all eight class periods, because he told his mother that when they moved too fast in class, he got migraines and started jumbling words up. I thought it was funny how in Language Arts Senior year, he got all the lead roles in the school plays. I glance at Clary's doe eyes, like she's about to cry just thinking about her boyfriend's "disability". "It must've slipped my mind." I mumble.

Clary shifts back in her seat and smiles. She's always positive and smiling. "Besides, he says he got an offer to be on the waiting list to get into the auditions to be a manager for a band." She says.

I snort. "He's on the waiting list to get into an _audition_? Just so he can be a manager?" I ask.

Clary nods. "Yeah! He'd get paid like ten grand a month!" she exclaims.

I smile and nod, but on the inside I'm screaming and begging my hands to get the nerve to turn the car around and forbid her to see Simon. I get ten grand every other _week_ by working at my adoptive father's football club. I teach the seven year olds, and apparently my father thinks I'm going through the third level of hell, so he gives me five grand extra. My hands might as well be in a pool of stress sweat by the time I roll up to Simon's building. "Here, you go, need me to walk you up?" I ask.

Clary shakes her head, leans across the center console and kisses my cheek. "Simon will bring me home. Thanks for the ride, Jacey." She says with a grin.

I smile weakly. "Make sure he has you home by midnight." I scold. Little does she know I'm dead serious. She grins back and hops out of the car, grabbing her phone. I roll down my window and shout across the small lawn. "No shenanigans!"

She turns around and sticks her tongue out. "No promises!" she says.

I can only pray that she was joking.

It's two days later that I notice Clary is acting strange. Usually when she winces at random turns, I offer to grab a movie and ice cream, to head over to her house and hang out with her. In other words, when she winces, I know it's her killer period cramps. But this time, when I offer she declines.

The next day we're sitting at a café and she shifts in the booth and winces. "Alright, what's up?" I ask her.

She clears her throat and acts like she didn't wince. "Nothing, what's up with you?" she asks casually.

I roll my eyes. "Clary, don't play stupid." I say.

Clary bites her lip. "It's nothing Jace, don't worry, I talked to Izzy about it." She says.

I roll my eyes again. "So it's girl talk. Alright, well I know that it's not your period, since you turned me down yesterday, and I know everything already, so that leaves the unmentionables." I say.

She looks at me sheepishly, and that's all it takes for me to go pale and choke on my coconut pancake. After I get it down my pipe, I huff. "Clare, please tell me you didn't give your virginity away to- to _Simon_." I say. When she doesn't answer I push my chair back and stand up. She grabs me by the wrist as I turn to leave. I turn back. "I'm sorry, but I can't support you on _this_ one milestone." I say with a gulp.

Clary frowns. "Why? Izzy was supportive." She says.

I roll my eyes and sit back down. "Izzy supports anything that has to do with _that_." I say gently.

Clary grimaces. "That's not fair, and you know that Jace Wayland. Who are you to judge when you took Bailey's virginity two years ago?" she shoots back.

I roll my eyes. "Clary, I dated her for five years, and we both had protection." I say. "Plus, we had talked about it, and we planned." I add.

Clary crosses her arms. "So? Simon used a condom when he needed to." She says.

I go rigid. "You didn't use it the whole time?" I ask.

Clary shrugs. "So, it did its job." She says.

I scoff. "Is he even clean? Don't act like you haven't heard Emily, Jamie, Paxton, and Marissa talking about their time with him." I say, counting the names off on my fingers.

Clary shakes her head, looking at me incredulously. "I asked, of course. He said he got tested." She says.

I look at her skeptically. "And was this before he was ready to go, or a split second before you were taken?" I ask.

Clary frowns at me. "Lay off, Jace. You don't usually have a problem with him." She says.

"I have always had a problem with him! Especially when he goes defiling my best friend!" I nearly yell.

Clary scoffs. "Thanks for warning me of your opinion." She says.

"Oh, what difference would it have made? You're too deep in your relationship with him anyway." I say.

She laughs humorlessly. "It would have been the difference between me not being your friend anymore." She says coldly before wrenching herself out of the booth and through the café doors.

I rest my head on my hands. _Why couldn't it have been a period?_

I don't talk to Clary for three weeks and it's driving me nuts. I hear Izzy on the phone with her almost every night, and she sounds perfectly fine. They talk about everything, and one time Clary even asks _her_ to bring the ice cream and movies over. I can't help but think that it's me who's supposed to be at her house, under her avengers blanket sharing ice cream and popcorn. It's supposed to be us who are falling asleep on the makeshift cushion pallet, with the soft glow of the television lulling us into a dream stage. I'm the one who should be getting up before sunrise to get her an Advil and making her pancakes. But it's not my job anymore, I guess.

The worst is when I accidentally get sucked into their conversation by Izzy's giggling.

_"Was it as painful?" Izzy asks._

_"No, it finally went away by the fifth round." Clary replies._

_"Ooh, five. Get it girl."_

_Clary giggles on the other end. "I am Izzy, what have I been waiting for?" she says dreamily._

_Izzy laughs. "I was beginning to think you'd become a nun. Or maybe Alec!"_

I walked away during the giggle fits and had to lean over the sink for a minute. My poor innocent Clary-Canary was being defiled and corrupted by not only Simon, but Izzy as well.

Tonight, I splash my face with water and turn out the lights. I walk by Alec's room, and hear the usual music blaring from his speakers. I'm tempted to knock on his door and make amends. I'm desperate for some sort of distraction. I sigh before walking downstairs to go on my nightly run. Hopefully it'd work, and I'd be able to focus on my own life now.

But as I run I can't seem to run away from _her_. She's there, at Jump Land where we shared an eighth birthday party, she's there in the baseball field parking lot where I attempted to teach her how to drive a year ago. She's in the outlet mall where I spent five weekends straight when she went through her awkward years and didn't like clothes for more than a week. She's in Mrs. Petrel's house where we returned her dog after it got out. She's in the park where we carved our names in our secret language when we were six. I sigh as I turn back up my road, my heart heavier than when I left.

Four, five, six, seven weeks pass and I remain shut away from Clary. She's moved on, and I heard her talking with Izzy about Simon being supportive of some big issue between them. She was gushing about how he always called her to let her know he loved her, and how he'd come over if she needed something. That got me to thinking that I'm like Simon in a way. I know I'd always be there for her, and I do love her, I just can't afford to be _in love_ with her.

By week twelve I'm ready to pull my hair out. We've never had a fight this big, especially not over something as stupid as sex with a guy I hate. Of all the times I was supportive of her, she chose the one time to turn away from me. Maybe it was a sign of her personality. Maybe she was one of those girls who was looking for a guy who would support them, even if it was asking for trouble. I can't sleep, and I had long given up by two a.m. I was about to flip on my lamp and study for finals before summer break, but a knock at my door sounded that second.

I open my door to a crying Izzy. I let her in without question. I love Izzy as if she was my blood sister. I let her in my arms, and when she calms down I stroke her hair gently. "What is it?" I ask.

Izzy sniffles a little. "It's Clary. Oh, she needs me, but I can't go over there like this. She won't get better if she sees Me." she cries.

I tense up. "What's wrong with her?" I ask, my heart rate going up a mile a minute.

Izzy shakes her head. "It's not my place to tell you, but all I can say is that Simon left her when she needed him most." She says.

I stand up, adding anger to my confusion and worry. "The bastard." I mutter. I begin to walk out of my room, but Izzy stops me.

"Jace, she's expecting me, tell her that I knew she really needed _you_. You'll have more patience to hear her out. Just, fix her. Please." She says.

So by three fifteen in the morning I'm knocking on her first floor window. I see her broken face first. The tears are streams, pooling at the notch of her collarbone that sticks out a bit. Her unusually messy curls sit frizzing around her face. Confusion is pooling on my face as she lets me climb in. I take one look at her in her huge bathrobe, and baggy pajama pants, and I open my arms towards her.

She sobs when her face hits my chest, and I squeeze her tighter. I release her, but not before I feel an abnormal firmness to her figure. My heart leaps out of my chest, and I feel nauseous again, but I don't say anything. I'm here to listen to her.

She starts out with one sentence that breaks my heart. "I need you." She whimpers.

I embrace her again, and she mumbles a sentence that breaks my heart into a million pieces, but in a different, much worse way. "I'm pregnant." She breathes.


	2. Chapter 2

**About last chapter, I'm so sorry about the stupid huge paragraph it was formatted in, I'm going to try to fix it, I didn't realize until I accessed the story today. So i'll fix that and hopefully this one doesn't do that.. but, enjoy and review what you want to see please! :3**

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I think I cry more than Clary does. She explains everything. Simon and her got pregnant, and she conceived on their sixth time together, which was fifteen weeks ago. She tells me how supportive he was about the situation, but the moment she started showing, he began to pull away, not going out in public with her anymore. She says it was a coincidence how yesterday he got the managing job and had to move across country to California, but couldn't pay for her. He left that night at midnight without telling her he was leaving.

I cry with her, but I cry because of how absolutely shattered she looks. She's never been through a breakup, because Simon was her first.

"I was stupid to think that I could 'meet the one' and have him be my first boyfriend. I was stupid to think I could not go heartbroken." She sniffles later that early morning as we lay in her bed. My arms stay around her, her head on my chest.

"Whatever you need, Clary, I'll be there. If you need help getting ready for the baby, if you need me to help with anything, hell, I'll even raise the baby. It'll be loved, Clare, even if it's not loved by anyone but us." I say.

Clary rests her hand on her stomach and looks up at me. "But it's not yours." She says.

I smile softly. "But it's part of you. And I'm always going to support you in what I think is the best thing to do. I also know how it feels to not be loved." I mumble the last part.

Clary burrows deeper into my arms. "I do. I love you." She says.

I chuckle softly. "Yeah, I know you do." I whisper. It's just not the way I need it to be. I realize this as she dozes off beside me. I've got nothing to be afraid of losing. I love her, and she cares for me too much to let me go. I settle down into her bed more and yawn as my hand unconsciously runs down her arm, brushes her hand, and lands on the small protrusion that isn't my baby. And somehow it doesn't feel weird.

Three months pass, and I think Clary is busying herself to get over the pain of the loss of Simon. She paints the entire two bedroom apartment I bought her, and asks me if I want to help her set up the nursery. I agree, but not because I feel I have to help her with anything, but because I want to. I want to be there for her and her baby, whom we found out last week was a little girl.

So, here I am today, pushing the cart down the aisles as if _I_ was the happy dad. I look at the picture Clary drew of the colors and styles she wanted for the nursery. When I finish shopping, I've picked up a white wooden crib, and a white changing table with shelves and drawers built in it. Clary insisted that if she was going to be spending hours in the nursery, she wanted a comfortable extra wide chair that she could easily curl up on. I pick up baby monitors, and pacifiers, lots of diapers, a steam cleaner for the bottles, and I decide to go overboard and get some blue and red outfits for when the baby is a newborn. I grab the no mess bibs, and by then I've exceeded Clary's budget, and end up paying for some of the stuff with my own money.

I get back to the apartment to find Clary stretching her back. At six months, Clary is getting a bit restless, and she is finally feeling the strain of the weight that she carries. I'll admit, when she started getting to be as big as she is, I was a little freaked out, not because I didn't like it, she was still beautiful, it was because all the time I've known her she'd been a stick. I was worried that her bones wouldn't be able to deal with the weight. But as time progressed and she got bigger, I realized that this was all part of the wonderful experience of pregnancy. It was pretty rewarding to both Clary and I, because Clary was excited to be a mother, and I was excited to have Clary rely on me again. But I could tell today was a rough day.

As I walk into the freshly painted room, Clary groans. "Can you help me?" she asks.

I smile softly. "Sure, what do you need?" I ask.

Clary walks over to me and puts her arms around my neck. "I need my back to be popped." She says.

I chuckle, and settle my arms around her waist, careful of the baby between us. I let her wrap her legs around my waist and I gently lift her up, until the pressure on her back results in a satisfying pop. She sighs when I set her down gently. "All better?" I ask.

She smiles and nods.

I look around at the paint job. Three of the four walls are brown with different sized, large green dots, and the other wall is green with large brown dots. "So, I got the crib and stuff. You sit back, I'll get to work on that, and we could finish by dinner time." I reassure her.

I hear her give a peaceful sigh as I finish the nursery that night. Yes, the stress of being a mother, Clare.

By the time Clary goes in for her first seven month appointment, she has warmed up to the idea of becoming the mother, and that left me to face the consequences. She's started to take fascination in feeling the soft thumps of her daughter's feet, but when she insists I try to feel it too, I can never feel it. At first I thought it was because the baby didn't recognize me, since I didn't have the special daddy connection, but when I tried to feel at the same time she was active, Clary figured that no one could feel it just yet.

So naturally she brought that up at the appointment today. The doctor said that every time is different, and that I would eventually be able to. That got me thinking about if I actually wanted to be able to experience that, since it's not my child. But I don't dare say anything to Clary about it. The poor girl is already feeling really self-conscious. She doesn't run to the store with me, and often I'll have to get things for take-out, since she gets second glances when we are out.

I think back to the night she broke down a month ago. We had just come back from our usual café, and she didn't like the attention at all.

"It's like they _know_ and expect me to do this alone. They know who I've been with." She sobbed.

I just held her. It wasn't like I could say 'You know, I could act like the dad, I could go out with you, marry you even so that people won't be so judging'. That'd make it seem like I want to be with her. But the thing is, is that I do.

So two weeks after the appointment, we are sitting on the couch watching a movie when Clary grunts. "She's gotten a lot stronger." She hisses.

I hesitantly put two fingers on a spot of her swollen middle, and I almost immediately feel a light tapping. I stare at it in wonder, for at least five minutes, before I feel a set of eyes on me. I look up to see Clary smiling softly with a hint of excitement. "You felt her?" she asks me in a hushed voice.

I grin. "Yeah, she has gotten a lot stronger." I chuckle.

Clary swallows. "Jace… I wanted to ask you a favor. I know, I only take things from you, and I'm so sorry, but… I wanted to ask you if you wanted to be the father figure. You know, be there for her, at least if only when she needs her daddy." She explains hesitantly.

A gush of air bursts out as I wrap her in my arms and sway us a little. "Thank you," I whisper. "I'd love to."

At eight months, I've officially moved into Clary's apartment to help with the last stretch of the pregnancy and the first few months of the baby's life. The first week she lets me sleep with her, but I move to the couch when she starts getting restless. She's having a very hard time getting comfortable, but all I can do is remind her that she's almost done. One night that freaks her out even more.

"God, Jace, I don't have a birth plan." She says.

I shrug. "That's easy, you've got your midwife, just let me know when you need to get her out and I'll drive you. There, problem solved." I tease in attempt to cheer her up.

She brushes her hand down her face. "Oh my god, never repeat that phrase again." She groans.

I chuckle. "At least I didn't say when you need to start pushing." I mutter.

She makes an embarrassed noise again, causing me to laugh. "Glad I could be the laugh of the week." She grumbles.

I shake her shoulder gently. "You need to relax. Here, sit on my lap." I say gently pulling her to me.

When she complies I begin to rub her neck, gently squeezing and contracting my hands, being sure to move down her back and back up. I keep at it until I hear her none too quiet snores, and I gently scoop her up and put her to bed. I stay and watch her sleep for a while. Ever since I admitted my love for her, I've found it easier to just enjoy her little things, even the quirks. I sigh and return to that dreaded couch.

She's two days over her due date, and I don't think there's been one smile or smirk on her face since a week before the due date. Clary is in full mother mode, worrying about everything. She even went as far as to make me check the crib for loose bolts. Currently, she's in the bathroom while I finish my wrench work. She wanted me to check every last piece of furniture. Last week I installed the cushy play mat under the crib in case she toppled out, which was pretty much impossible.

I can't help but love Clary even more when she looks at me with those doe eyes in the evenings and talks with me about her worries. It also makes me glad that Simon left her, so I'd be able to experience this.

I talked to Izzy last night when Clary said my advice sucked. I had told her it was normal for women to pass their due dates, since it was an estimate, and she snapped at me. She asked me how I'd like it if I had to carry a human for nine months and she got to sit back and relax. It was so not the case. The whole pregnancy I'd been slaving over her orders and preparing for the baby. I might as well be the damn mother. But again, I'd never tell my beautiful redhead that.

So when Clary comes out of the bathroom crying and begging for her old body back, I wordlessly carry her to bed and coax her back to sleep. That night I don't sleep on the couch.

"Izzy, shut up." I hear from outside the dimly lit hospital room.

"It couldn't be Alec." I whisper, staring down at the little bundle of cloth that holds possibly he world's sweetest looking baby girl in it.

Little Amity Adeline Fray was born five days after Clary's due date, and she came with the biggest scream you will ever hear from a child. I of course held Clary's hand the whole time, but as I watch her sleep, I'd rather bask in the peacefulness, rather than remember the screams that came from her mouth.

Clary did great, and the whole labor and delivery process took only four hours thanks to Clary's determination. She wanted the medicine. She had told the nurse that she expected to get paralyzed off of the amount of epidural she wanted, but of course the nurse knew she was just hollering due to her situation.

So know I hold the blue eyed, red headed baby while the mother of this wonderful little girl finally gets much needed rest. Amity doesn't sleep, and I can tell she's going to need and demand a lot of attention. A few times she's gotten fussy at me, but as soon as I whispered to her, she'd stop and stare at me with the same innocent eyes that are seen on her mother. I didn't know what to say at first, so I just repeated her name over and over, cooing at her in different voices. I take her on a little walk around the room every ten minutes or so, and it lulls her into a dreamlike trance, but still no sleep comes for little Amity.

So as I make my way to the cracked open door, and see Alec and Izzy, I immediately shush them.

Izzy's eyes seek out the baby instantly, and she sighs in relief. "Good, I don't see one trace of Simon." She says.

Alec smacks her and turns to me. "How is Clary?" he asks.

I glance back at her, and motion them in to stand in the doorway. "She's out like a light ever since they took Amity back for cleaning." I say.

Izzy smiles softly. "Do you like being a daddy?" she asks.

"Father _figure_," I correct. "And so far, yes I do. Although she hasn't as much as closed her eyes for a minute since they handed her to me." I chuckle.

Izzy smile widens. "She's making connections to you. She could hear you throughout the pregnancy, and she's finally getting the voice to the face. She must've recognized you." She says. Alec looks at her weird. "What? I read it to Clary when she had just found out." She says.

I feel a vibration shoot through Amity before I hear the wail. I quickly bounce her in my arms, but she continues to wail, her tiny face puckered and red. I smell her to see if it's a needed diaper change, but it's clean for now. Izzy and Alec quiet down as if it would calm her down if it were quiet. I hear sheets rustling and a small yawn come from Clary. She looks much more rested as she holds out her arms for Amity to be settled into. I hand her over and Clary clears her throat.

"Alec, Izzy, can I have a bit of privacy please? Amity hasn't been fed yet." She says, her voice rocky from sleep.

The pair slowly nods and backs out of the room, me right behind them. I may have seen the lower parts of Clary for the birth, but I still think she should keep a few things to herself for now. So I stand against the wall across from where Alec and Izzy stand, waiting patiently until I could take Amity back in my arms. I love that baby so much, and I deserve to be allowed to considering I was not only asked to be her father, but I also worked hard to get everything ready. And the reward of all of our work was sweet.

Alec clears his throat. "How have you been, Jace?" he asks, a little tense.

I smile softly at him. "I've been a little busy." I say.

Isabelle snorts. "That's for sure. You've taken a liking to this whole daddy job. It made you softer. I can only imagine what motherhood will do to Clary." She says.

I laugh. "You might see her on _World's Craziest Mothers_. She's already so protective of Amity." I observe.

Alec purses his lips in attempt to keep a small smile off his face. "You're whipped dude," he chuckles. His face grows a bit serious. "I'm sorry about the awkwardness. I kinda want you to be my friend again." He says, looking to the floor.

I smile at him. "Sure, Alec, and I'm sorry if I was a little harsh. I knew the topic was still pretty sensitive, I was just shocked that you'd admit you have feelings for me." I say.

Alec clears his throat. "I _had_ feelings for you. I'm not available anymore. You know Magnus Bane, right?" he asks.

I grin. "The guy from our tenth grade biology class, yeah, I do." I make a heart with my hands teasingly, and Alec blushes.

"We've been hanging out a lot lately." Alec says.

Izzy clears her throat from beside the door. "Hey, shouldn't we be able to go in yet?" she asks with a wicked grin. "I need to see my new shopping buddy."

After two more days of being in the hospital, Clary and Amity are allowed to go home. I got Amity ready while Clary took a shower in the hospital room's bathroom, dressing her in a white onesie with tiny pink bows all over it. The tiny cap I place on her head is pink with little white polka dots on it. I slip on her hot pink pants and put her white booties on over them. I hold her up in front of me, her head supported by my hand. "I think this is about right." I say to her. "Just don't come to me when you want to know which shirt to wear on your first day of high school." I joke, even though she can't understand me.

Clary giggles from behind me. "Has your loneliness resorted to talking to a newborn baby?" she teases.

I bring Amity to my chest. "I'm just warning her ahead of time." I say in defense as we walk out of the hospital room and start to make our way home.

The first night was the hardest? Not really. The first night was a cake walk compared to tonight. Amity is two months old now, and she's grown a lot. She now weighs fifteen pounds compared to her birth weight of eight pounds two ounces. But since she got comfortable at home, she has begun to run out of the generosity and cries at night. Tonight however, I'm determined to get to Amity before she wakes Clary up. So at four in the morning when the baby monitor starts to light up and her whimpers are starting, I race into her nursery, not bothering to worry about how if she spits up, it'll go straight onto my bare torso. I turn off the baby monitor in her room and stand over her crib. "Hey now," I coo as I run a hand over red curls that have grown out a lot since she was born. She whimpers a little before she starts to cry. This attention won't be enough. I pick her up with one arm and with the others I arrange a pile of pillows and baby blankets on top of the foam play mats. I lie down on my back and hold Amity against my chest as I whisper to calm her down. She grabs at my curls with one arm above her head and lays the other hand on my chest. Both of my hands rest on her back as she lies on her stomach. She's old enough to turn her head by herself now, so I don't have to worry about supporting her head.

Only once in the night does she cry from above me, and I place kisses on her hair and pat her back. Eventually she falls asleep, and drools on my chest. "I love you, Amity," I breathe as I drift off to sleep.

The next morning I wake to someone shaking my shoulder. I open my eyes to find Clary watching me sleep. Little Amity is still sprawled out across my chest, and one of her hands still grasp at my hair. I kiss her head and shake her a bit to get her to release my hair. "Did you sleep here?" Clary whispers. I nod and pat the space beside our pile of pillows. Clary lies down next to me. "You know, you're stealing my job. I'm supposed to hold her and help her calm down." Clary teases accusingly.

I grin a little. "There are still things that she needs you for." Is my only reply.

I grin as I watch a seven month old Amity crawl behind Clary as she paces the living room. "I just don't know what to do Jace! I can't afford this place, but I don't have any room for a roommate." She sighs as she runs a hand through her hair.

My attention turns from little Amity to the letter in my hands. A few weeks ago, after I moved out of the apartment, Clary got a letter saying her rent needed to be paid, and that it was her last exemption last month. The apartment was the cheapest Clary could find, but she didn't have a high paying job to get money. I helped her come up with the roommate idea, but we concluded that there was no one in their right mind that would sleep on a couch, in the same house as a baby. Even if the baby was the cutest there ever was.

I bite my lip. "How about I just give you the money?" I ask. "That way by you going back to work, and I also working, we could split the rent in two and I give you half." I say.

Clary frowns. "You pay for an apartment that you don't live in? Absolutely not." She says.

I shrug. "Then I'll sleep on the couch. While you work I'll watch Am, and pay half the rent?" I compromise.

Clary shrugs. "But you have a better place. I couldn't do that without feeling like I'm forcing you to live here." She says.

I shrug. "I want to live here. I love seeing how much Amity has grown, and I want to help you." I say.

The next week I move back in, and store all of my stuff in Clary's second closet. I sleep on the pull out couch in the first living room at the back of the apartment, but I placed my mattress on top of it for comfort. Clary started work today so it's me and Amity until Clary gets home at five tonight. She works at a Mexican restaurant called Taki's downtown which was a ten minute commute. She told me it paid just enough for half the rent, so I told her I'd cover food every other month, and on the months when I didn't cover food, I'd pay the rent. That leaves me with six grand a week, and takes one grand away each month for half the rent; I was left with five grand. We actually were getting along well, but we might have to figure something out before Amity starts school, but there's plenty of time for that.


	3. Chapter 3

**I honestly thought about not writing until the summer, because I've been so busy lately. Literally, I have events every weekend and not to mention I finish school in two weeks and have boatloads of homework. However, I had some down time so I'm updating tonight, but this could be it for about two weeks until I finish school. So as proof that this story even has readers, can ya'll follow and favorite and review for me? I'd also like ideas as to what to do within the Clace relationship. Remember, this is a shorter story.**

**READ AUTHOR'S NOTE ABOVE PLEASE- **Amity is now fourteen months old, and has begun to toddle a few steps max, but has yet to make any noise other than her giggle. This morning Clary, Amity and I are sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast together like we do every Saturday. Later today we have plans to take Amity to the park with Izzy and Alec. I'm flipping pancakes with Amity's highchair pulled up across the island I stand at. She giggles when I flip a pancake, but one time I miss the pan and the half cooked pancake splats a few inches from Amity's highchair table. Clary and I are laughing as I scrub the pancake batter off of my chest and the pancake off of the island counter top. "Daddy!" I hear a shriek as I throw away the pancake.

Clary and I's laughter halts and I whip around to Amity. I can't really frown at her, she just said her first word, but I do swallow and glance nervously at Clary. She nods a bit; all the while Amity is looking at me almost expectantly. I smile gently at her. "What was that, Am?" I ask gently.

"Daddy," she says with a beam on her face, like she knows she just did something big. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy." She says over and over, like she's waiting for me to tell her 'good job'.

All I do I watch as Clary's eyes tear up along with my own. I pick up Amity and give her a hug. I bury my face her light orange curls that are put in two pony tails. I finally understand that she was referring to me instead of Simon. "I love you so much," I whisper to her.

"Daddy," she blurts out in reply.

Clary is still watching us skeptically. I meet her eyes and she nods her head towards the living room. I set Amity back in her highchair. "We will be right back, Am." I tell her and follow Clary out of the room.

Clary barely makes it to the living room before she breaks down crying. "I knew she would wonder where her father is." She sobs.

I wrap her in my arms. "No, no, Clary, not at all. She was talking about me. She called me Daddy. That's why I thought you were upset." I say.

Clary pulls away. "Really?" she asks.

I offer her a smile. "Yeah, think about it. I've been with you guys for her whole life. Who else would she call Daddy?" I ask.

Clary wipes her eyes. "But, how do we tell her you aren't her daddy?" Clary asks.

I swallow. That answers my question right there. Clary doesn't love me back. She doesn't want me to be Amity's Dad. She'd rather tell Amity that her daddy left instead of let her keep calling me that. "I don't want to intrude and barge into you two's family." I say awkwardly.

Clary bites her lip. "J-Jace, what are you talking about?" she asks.

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. It's now or never. The perfect opportunity has come. "I love you, Clary. I've been in love with you since before you dated Simon. But I also understand that you aren't looking for someone like that. I understand that you only want there to be a father _figure_ for Amity, I get that. But I also need to worry about myself. Clary, I needed to tell you this." I say. I hesitate, then take a deep breathe. "And now I'm feeling nauseous. Why the hell would I tell you that? I shouldn't have said anything. It's too soon-"

I'm cut off by Clary's lips on mine. I hear my breath catch as she wraps her arms around my neck. Neither of us dares to deepen the kiss due to little ears on the other side of the very thin wall. Clary pulls back first her lips parted and her breathing labored. "Jace," she almost sighs. "I-I don't know how I feel about you, but there's something there." She says softly.

I just nod. "And that's alright. I'll let you think it over." I say. Before I can even open my mouth I hear a small voice from the kitchen.

"Daddy?" Amity calls elevating her small voice to form a question.

I chuckle and squeeze Clary's hand once. "Meanwhile, I have a job to do." I whisper. "Coming Am!" I call. From behind I hear Clary giggle a bit.

_._._._

I wake up to the sound of little giggles from the room next to mine. I grin despite the fact that it's Monday. I hop out of bed and grab some pants before I make my way into the room where I know Clary will be dressing Amity. Clary stands there in her robe and slippers while she holds up Amity to inspect her outfit. Amity is eighteen months old now and has begun to form words like 'ma', 'puppy', and 'food'. It's just your basics, but they help out tremendously when you ask her what she needs. She's still pretty dependent, but now she can walk and waddle quickly. She's grown so much over the past four months, too. Her orange hair has darkened a bit and is now a deep red color, and her eyes have brightened into what is hopefully a permanent electric blue color. She's lost some of her baby fat, but she still has adorable rolls on her wrists and ankles. She's got fair skin and the funniest facial expressions you will ever see. Recently she's developed the talent of raising one eyebrow, unlike her mother, and that's how she looks right now. "Hey, Amity! Are you ready for daycare?" I coo at her as she meets my eyes across the room.

She giggles and hops a little. "Play! Daddy!" she squeals.

I laugh and come to stand by Clary. I kiss her chastely on the lips and turn to Amity. "Let Mommy finish your hair first baby girl." I say.

She huffs and puckers her lips in a pout as clary runs a brush through her shoulder length hair. Her hair grows fast, but when I bring up haircuts to Clary, she covers her ears and makes it obvious she wants nothing to do with chopping off her daughter's red locks.

I wait in the rocker for Clary to finish so we can play with Amity before we all have to go our separate ways for the day. It was two months ago that Clary told me she loved me. Well, she didn't say she loved me, but she said the words "I like you so freaking much", and that's close enough to love. Since then we've been giving dating a try and it's been working out great. I established some guidelines though. We don't share a room, and we don't share more than pecks on the lips and cheeks. We've been 'testing the waters' so to speak with our relationship. We've both made it clear that we both want to be in Amity's life.

A few minutes later amity is dressed in a white frilly tutu and a pink shirt with a light blue bow on the stomach. Her curls are tamed and she smiles as she tries to run to me. I pick her up and set her on my lap, immediately bursting into her favorite song "Five Little Peas". She giggles when I tickle her and Clary eventually joins in.

Two hours later, however, I'm on the football field teaching the peewees how to play flag football. The kids seem to enjoy it, but I can't help but envy the fathers. Amity is great, but I've always wanted a son. Right now, it seems hopeless that Clary will even have any children with me. It seems hopeless that one day we'll even get married, since we are so set on taking our time. But I can't complain, because at least I have a somewhat family. Amity is like my daughter, which pretty much ensures me that I'll be needed in her life.

I sit in the locker room after my next three classes. It's now five in the afternoon and I finished earlier today. I would go pick up Amity, but Clary gets off of work at four. I don't know why I'm hesitant to leave and get home, but something causes me to stay. I feel like I can think better when I'm not being Superdad, not that I don't like being needed.

My issue isn't even about Amity, it's more about Clary and I. Why hasn't she talked about being anything more with me? Dating her is fantastic right now, and we have a date this Friday while Isabelle watches Amity, but I can't help but want to be more. We're raising a child together, so shouldn't we just make our positions official and get married? I guess it's somewhat my fault that I haven't asked her, but a few hints from Clary would be nice.

I make it home by five thirty and walk in to a very odd stain on the carpet outside of the kitchen. When I walk in I stifle a laugh. Clary is bent over the countertop wrestling Amity for the lid to the blender. A greenish liquid is splattered on the counters and there's some that shot onto the walls and the carpet outside of the kitchen doorway. "Need some help?" I ask, my face hurting from my efforts to hold back a smile.

Clary grunts and releases a sniffling Amity. Apparently Mommy wasn't amused with her trick. "Take her to the bathroom to get cleaned and then take her to her room until dinner is ready." She says, obviously on her last nerve.

I sigh and walk over to her, kissing her cheek and feeling her relax a little. I swipe some of the liquid smoothie off of her cheek and lick my finger clean. "Mm kale and spinach, my favorite." I say in a silly voice.

Amity giggles, but she quiets down when Clary scowls. I chuckle and rub Clary's back soothingly. "I'll help you clean up after I get Amity ready." I say. With that, I grab Amity under the arms and carry her up to the bathroom.

Inside, I fill the bath tub up with shallow water and once it's at a comfortable temperature, I undress Amity and set her in the tub. "Bubbles?" she sniffs, using her pouty face on me.

My heart clenches, like any father's would, but I stay strong, mostly because I'm terrified of an angry Clary. "Big girls that do bad things don't get bubbles, Amity." I say and she cocks her head. "No bubbles tonight." I say more firm.

She starts to sniffle, her bottom lip trembling as big fat tears run down her face. "I sowwy," she whimpers.

I shake my head as rinse off her baby soap. "Don't tell me that Am, tell Mommy." I say as I lather up her red hair in shampoo. I may or may not cave a little and give her the rubber frog that squirts water. This is a mistake, because by the end of bath time, my shirt has a huge water stain on it.

I sigh and take her into her room and set her into her crib. I pull up the gate and turn the lights down low, removing her toys from her crib before I leave the room, ignoring her cries and whimpers. I can only hope she'll learn her lesson before she gets to the age of spankings.

I walk into the kitchen to see Clary cleaning up the last bit of green smoothie. I watch as she slides into a bar stool with her head in her arms. I take a seat next to her and rub her shoulders. "She's taken care of." I whisper.

Clary's shoulders slump. "I hate being the bad guy." She tells me.

"Someone's gotta do it."

"But I don't want to. The dads are usually the bad guys. And you aren't one." She looks up at me, and her mood goes from upset, to scowling. "Jace Christopher, did you give her the frog?" she scolds.

I bite my lip. "I'm sorry! She was crying after I said no bubbles, so I gave her the dang frog. There's a certain level of cruelty." I huff. "God knows I'll never be the one to spank her." I say, voicing my earlier thoughts.

Clary sighs. "We'll have to hire someone to punish her." She jokes.

I laugh and tap the counter twice before getting up. "So, I'll make dinner, you relax." I tell her. I begin boiling the water to make the noodles, and then I grab the meat and tomato sauce for the spaghetti. I'm draining the noodles when I feel Clary push me up against the sink. She starts placing kisses on the back of my neck and my shoulders and I brace myself against the counter. "Clary?" I question.

"You're so good to me, Jace." She says.

My heart speeds up. She's in a romantic mood, maybe she'll spill a little hints of what she wants. "Mmm, how good, babe?" I ask.

She runs her hands up and down my back. "So good," she whispers. She clears her throat. "I never want you to leave. Stay with me, always." She mumbles.

I internally celebrate, because I've been given the green light. I can now start thinking marriage. I keep calm on the outside however. "Of course," is my only reply.


	4. Chapter 4

Clary's going to be pissed at me. I know it. I shouldn't have let her in my car, I knew I'd get sucked into those big brown eyes. So here I sit, taking her home with me. I know Amity will love her, she's still pretty young. She's only three months old, but a total sweetheart. I glance at the husky in the seat next to me on the way back from the vet. I had found her on the side of the road on the way home from work and took her to the vet to get her shots. I take a deep breath as I pull up to the house. I hop out and grab the bright blue leash as I open my passenger side door. The puppy leaps out and immediately starts sniffing every blade of grass that comes in contact with her nose. I can't help but grin at the adorable thing.

Once the dog has done its business I take it inside and rush it to my connected bathroom to bathe it. I dig the shampoo out of the plastic bag from my local pet store and turn on the tub. When I turn around to grab the husky, she's whimpering and cowering over by the door. I sigh. "You have to be difficult don't you." I say. I strip down to nothing and wrap the dog in my arms, hoisting it to my chest and sitting down in the bathtub with me. She cowers into my chest and I grunt as it steps all over me. I begin to rinse her down and rub in the shampoo. "You're such a good girl. I love you, it's okay. Don't be scared sweetie." I coo at her as I rinse off the soap.

"Jace? Are you alright in there?" Clary calls from the other side of the door.

I gasp and look at the sopping wet husky in my lap. "Shit, they weren't supposed to be back until four!" I mutter.

"Jace Herondale, who's with you?" she shrieks.

As I'm coming up with a reply, my door bursts down and a very mad- dare I say jealous- Clary stands with her hands on her hips. They fall to her side as her jaw drops and she begins to blush furiously. "I found her on the streets." I say, using the bubbles and dog to hide my bareness.

Clary bursts out laughing. "I thought you'd found something else on the streets." She chuckles. But then her arms cross and she has a scowl on her pretty face. "Why the hell are you in the bathtub with a dog that we aren't keeping?" Clary says.

I frown and I swear the husky whimpers when she says we aren't keeping her. "I found her on the streets and she was limping, so I took her to the vet and they got the nail out of her paw and gave her all of the needed shots, and a really cute bow, and I was about to turn down the road to the SPCA, when I thought, hey, Amity is turning four tomorrow and what better friend to give her than a puppy? So I ran to the pet store, bought her a collar, leash, food, and shampoo, and well, here I am." I retell the story.

Clary bites her lip. "Jace, Amity is still really reliable on me, I can't have a dog relying on me too. It's too much." She says softly, the scowl replaced with a weary look.

I swallow. "No, Clary, it is too much, you're right. But they aren't reliable on just you. _Us_ is the key word here Clary, look how far we've come with our daughter. You have me, Amity has both of us." I say.

Clary sighs and sits on the edge of the tub. The puppy comes and noses her arm until her head fits into her lap, almost like Clary is hugging her. She laughs lightly. "Who's a sweetie?" she giggles and rubs her behind her black pointy ears. "Mmm so soft, and you smell like peppermint too." she coos. She turns to me and I give her a hopeful look. She rolls her eyes. "Are you sure you're gonna share her with Amity?" Clary laughs.

I grin widely. "No promises, is this a yes?" I ask and Clary nods in response. I almost, _almost_, jump up to hug Clary, but I settle for squeezing her hand.

When I'm dry and dressed, Clary helps me dry off the puppy and place the light blue bow around her neck. It's just in time too, because a tiny voice from outside the bedroom door calls for us. "Momma, Daddy?" Amity asks.

We open up the bedroom door and let the puppy out first, and immediately we are no longer needed, as the small child's attention is fully on the fur ball. "For me?" she asks excitedly.

Clary and I just grin at her. I duck down and kiss the top of her head, my fingers stroking her waist length dark red hair. "Happy Birthday, baby." I say, which earns me the biggest smile and a kiss on my cheek.

* * *

**Super short, I know. I'm going to be updating sooner though, so keep following and favoriting and hopefully reviewing.**

**-Jaceheronduck**


	5. Chapter 5

**It's short, but I'm hoping the writers block will end soon. I just wanna thank everyone for their support and ideas. I hope i didn't disappoint you guys. Did i pull through? Any more ideas? Again, I'm really sorry for everything...**

* * *

"Daddy, what's the difference between frozen yogurt and ice cream?" Amity asks me while I'm turning down the road that leads to our neighborhood.

"Well, Amity, ice cream has a lot of yucky stuff like sugars and fat, while yogurt is a healthier, tastier version of ice cream." I say.

Amity stares at me with wide eyes. "Daddy, you just said sugar was yucky!" she squeals.

A month ago Amity turned five, so this fall Clary and I are enrolling her in kindergarten. She's become impossibly beautiful in the past year. Her dark red hair has gotten even darker, turning an amazing shade of brick red, and has grown to her mid-back. Yes, I made Clary let her get a haircut so we settled on mid-back. Right now, her hair is in a long French braid that I learned how to master. I took the day off so that Clary and I could celebrate our four year anniversary of dating. I had something great planned for tonight.

Today I had spent father daughter time with Amity, making sure to get her all sugared up for Izzy tonight while she babysat. I smile at my little girl as I turn into my driveway, but my face falls as I see a black and red mustang sitting in our driveway. It's license plate is from California.

"Oh sh-" I start.

"Daddy! No curse words! I'll tell Mommy!" Am squeals.

I look at her. She's only ever had Clary and I and shit will hit the fan if I bring her in the car. I sigh and text Izzy to meet me at the gas station half-way between our homes.

_It's an emergency, come quick. I need you to babysit ASAP._

When we arrive Izzy jumps out of her car and rushes over to mine. "What is it?" she asks hurriedly. "This better not be just a rush for you to get in the sack with Clary." She points.

I lean in and mutter. "He's come back."

Izzy gasps. "The nerve! Go get him Jace." She says and picks up a grinning, innocent Amity. "Hey, sweet thing, you get to spend the day with Uncle Alec and Aunt Izzy!" she exclaims.

That's the last thing I hear before I'm jumping into my car and speeding back to the house. By the time I get there, I throw my car door shut and nearly bust down the door.

Inside Clary is seated on the couch looking terrified and weary, and Simon is standing in front of her with his fists clenched. "Clary, word got around. If you don't do something with that bastard my job will be town the toilet." He growls.

Clary scoffs. "It's one thing for you to suggest an abortion, but you surely cannot believe that I'd consider killing my child for one second." She says. I'm so proud of her for standing up to him.

"Well, if you won't consider it, I sure as hell will find a way to get what I want." He growls.

I let out an almost feral growl. "I think you've done enough, Simon!" I snarl, grabbing him by the back of his collar.

Simon freezes, but puts on his 'big boy face'. "And what are you going to do Wayland? You aren't even a legal guardian of this mistake. Only Clary is, and she would still have to compete in court with me." he says.

I laugh darkly and punch him in the gut. "Here's what I'm gonna do Lewis," I spit. "I'm gonna ignore your legal shit. If you come to my home or try to do harm to anything that is associated with me, I'll kill you in an instant. And don't even try to get all constitutional with me. It's out of defense when you die a slow, painful death." I growl. "Now get. Out. Of. My. House!" I seethe.

Simon drops to the floor and hits the ground running back to his black mustang.

I sigh and fall next to Clary, wrapping her in my arms. "I'll make sure she's alright. We'll all be alright." I murmur.

Clary breathes a sigh of relief. "I love you." She whispers.

I freeze in her arms, tightening her in my embrace. "What was that, Clarissa?" I ask.

Clary sits up and takes my hands. "I love you, Jace Wayland. Not like I loved you before. I love you so much more. You've accepted me and Amity from the start, and I was wrong to hold back my feelings. Jace, you're the best thing that has happened to my family… _our_ family." She tells me.

I'm sure my smile stretches from ear to ear and hers is no different. Suddenly time stops, and all I see is Clary smiling softly at me looking beautiful as always. I catch her eyes flickering to my lips and my heart rate skyrockets. Sure, we've kissed before, but now she loves me and I know that. So as our lips press together it feels one hundred times better than any other kiss I've had with Clary, or anyone else.

We break away for air and Clary smiles coyly. She glances up at me and around our home, and curses colorfully. "Shit! Where's Amity?" she panics.

I laugh. "I dropped her at Izzy so I could come handle our little situation." I whisper, leaning back into Clary.

She pecks me once, very lightly. "What's a few hours more at Auntie Izzy's?" she giggles, and then our lips our join, kicking off the best hour of my life.


	6. Chapter 6

"Shit! Clary get Amity's suitcase I'll get her in the car, we're thirty minutes behind schedule." I panic running to grab our own suitcases and throw them into the car along with my red haired hyper five year old.

"Daddy! Are we gonna see Mickey Mouse today?" she hollers excitedly.

I chuckle at her and kiss her cheek. "Only if we don't miss our plane." I say. I rush back into the house to see Clary getting dressed. She wears a blue button down tucked into some of her dark wash shorts that make her short legs seem miles long. She puts a thick brown belt around her waist and her brown gladiator sandals on. On our way out she grabs her white aviator sunglasses and we hop in the car.

We'd been saving up to take Amity to Disney World since last year when she fell in love with the Disney Channel. But now we might not make our plane.

I stomp on the gas and we get to the airport in record timing, but we still only have an hour to get through security and to our gate.

I was just stepping through the metal detector when Clary gasped from behind the security check. I turn around. "Clare?"

"Where's Amity?" she panics. Her breathing gets heavier and she glances all around the lines until the security guard taps her shoulder.

"What's the problem miss?" he asks.

She runs her hand through her hair. "I can't find my five year old. She's about 3' 1'' and has dark red hair and green eyes. Her hair is really curly and goes down to her middle back. Our plane leaves for Orlando in about forty five minutes and we can't miss it." She explains trying her hardest to stay calm.

I stand on the other side of security mimicking Clary by running my hands through my hair. Many annoyed people back her up, but suddenly the crowd parts and an elderly man steps through holding the hand of my littlest red head. "Amity!" I exclaim in relief. I don't know how I feel right now, but I know it's a mix between relief and frustration and panic.

The two lovely ladies finish up the security process and when Amity gets through I snatch up her hand none too gently. I lead her to our gate and sit her in the chair. I kneel down in front of her and my grip on her hand doesn't let up. Clary sits beside Amity clearly distressed.

"Amity, what in the world were you thinking?" I grit out. I can't be too rough with her but she needs to understand that what she did was not okay.

"I saw the Little Mermaid in a gift store." She mumbles her chin trembling. "I'm really sorry daddy." She whimpers looking down at our hands.

I follow her gaze and see that my knuckles are white and clammy. I sigh and let go. I gather Amity in my arms and rock her side to side. "I accept your apology. You just can't run off like that. If something had happened to you mommy and daddy would be so upset. We love you so much." I say softening my voice.

Amity throws her arms around my neck and squeezes. "I love you too, Daddy." She says.

I let go of her and she grabs my hand pulling me hurriedly to our barding plane. I take Clary's hand in my other and soon we're taking our seats for the two hour flight.

Amity starts off hyper as ever, but at the halfway mark she's passed out on my lap.

Clary tucks her head in my neck. "You did so good with her today." She coos.

I chuckle and kiss her hair. "Thanks. I was just so worried. She may not be my actual daughter but she's still my little girl." I sigh.

Clary looks up. "Don't feel bad, Jace. You did what you had to and you handled it well. I'm impressed." She lowers her voice.

I gulp. "Remember Clary, there's little ears." I playfully scold making her laugh.

"Just wait until we get to the hotel. You're in for it now." She says, her face matching her hair.

I kiss her again. "Can't wait." I say and playfully nudge her.

It takes a while, but we eventually load the bus that will take us to our resort. We're staying in Cinderella's castle suites but little does Clary know this trip is not just for Amity. I pop my knuckles and crack my neck as I stand from my bus seat and gather up a sleepy Amity in my arms, settling her on my hp.

She stirs and her eyes brighten up as we stand outside the gates of the Magical Kingdom park. She giggles and I set her down so she can explore, but she turns around and grabs my hand.

There's something magical about Disney World. Kids are well behaved, parents are even more in love, and every issue of your regular life is left behind as you walk through the endless maze of shops, rides, and oh so delicious food. Which is where Clary wants to go now.

"Alright, the busmen will take care of our luggage, so what do you say we get some lunch?" I ask.

Amity pouts. "When do we ride rides? Oh! I want to see Cinderella!" she squeals.

Her laughter is contagious as we walk into a hotdog restaurant. I'm saving the special restaurant for my surprise tonight.

After lunch we go around riding little rides that Amity would enjoy. We run into Pluto, Donald, and Minnie today. We head back to the resort and I tuck Amity in for a nap before dinner.

I'm about to cross the threshold of our room when I see Clary pick something out of my bag. She gasps and I hide behind the doorframe and squeeze my eyes shut holding my breath. If she finds me and asks me about what she found, my cover will be blown. I hear Clary put it back in the zipper it came from and I walk in. "Hey, babe," I say casually.

She smiles and swallows hard. She seems happier. "Hey," her voice cracks.

I wink at her and walk to my bag. Her breath catches and I smirk where she can't see. She may know what I'm up to but she doesn't know when I'll do it. I simply grab my Beetles t-shirt out of my bag and strip down to my boxer briefs, throwing on the tee. "I think I'm gonna hit the sack for a few minutes before Amity is ready to go out again." I say.

Clary smiles at me and brushes her hand through my hair. She kisses me lightly and I sigh. "That's fine. I'll be in the tub." She says. She heads into the elegant bathroom and I leap out of bed when I hear the water start running.

I toss and turn, glancing at my bag periodically. I have five days to do this, but I wanted to do this earlier on in the trip. I finally fall asleep with the perfect plan.

"Jace," Clary whispers, running her hand over my forehead. "Jace, Amity is waiting." She says gently.

I stretch and grab her by the waist, pulling her towards me so she lay with me. I squeeze her to me, resting my chin on top of her head. "I love you," I say groggily.

She turns towards me and rubs her nose along my collarbone. "I love you more," she whispers, kissing my collar.

Amity comes rushing in our room. "Mommy, mommy, mommy! I want to get the princess makeup!" She squeals.

Clary sits up. "You mean the makeover?" she asks.

Amity nods her head enthusiastically. "Can I pleassee? Please daddy?" she begs.

I grin at her. "Of course! You need to look like a princess before we eat with them." I tell her.

Her eyes get big. "We're eating with princesses?" she jumps up and down.

I chuckle. "We sure are. So let's get going before it gets too late." I tell her.

On the whole way down Amity blabs to Clary about how she saw the little shop on Disney Channel and how the girls could be dressed up by the fairy godmothers. She goes on and on about how she wonders if they have bubble gum lip gloss. I smile at my beautiful daughter. She reminds me of when I had first met Clary.

_It was an early crisp fall day in Mrs. Shmitt's class and first grade me was playing flag football with the boys in my class. We all had two things in common- football and the knowledge that girls were disgusting. So when the new Australian red head came up to the group and asked if she could try, we all laughed at her. She ended up playing on Alec's team, Izzy watching from the side at the alien concept of a _girl_ playing with the guys._

_Clary wasn't that bad, I'd decided. She could kick like no one's business and she had decent catching despite her scrawny arms and twig legs that could snap like a toothpick. But she was down for the count when my best friend Sebastian had roughly shoved her. She fell right into the mud, getting her pink plaid shirt grimy and her jeans all stained with fresh cut grass. But I only really noticed the blood that was seeping through her jeans at the knee._

_I swear even at the age of six, I never wanted to see her cry. She could make our heartless principal Mr. Aldeen bawl just at the sight of the fat alligator tears falling down her freckled face._

_Seb only laughed._

_That's when I went up to him and crossed my arms. "That was mean, Sebastian." I scold. "Apologize." I demand._

_Seb mumbled a sorry, but it didn't help one bit._

_I kneel down to her side. "Come on, Clarissa, I'll walk you to the nurse." I promise her._

_She grabs my hand and pulls herself up, looking down at her outfit which causes her to sniffle even more. "Thanks, but call me Clary." She says._

_I smile. "I'm Jace." I tell her._

_I stay with her throughout the memorable nurses visit, where she got the biggest bandage I ever saw (as a first grade boy), and I thought she'd been the toughest girl around. So I voiced it._

_She giggled at me. "I have a big brother, so I've been hurt worse." She states. She grabs my pinky with hers, a small shy and unsure gesture. "I like you, Jace." She says._

_I smile widely at her in response. "Good, because I think we're gonna be good friends." I say._

_And the rest was history._

I smile as we arrive at the princess makeover place. It was hard to believe that now Clary and I were raising a first grader ourselves. I sure as hell wouldn't have thought it would be like this a few years back.

The visit is a blur as a woman in a blue robe whisks away my daughter elegantly. I see them curling her hair and putting little gyms on her cheeks. I zone out as Clary and I wait for her to get dressed in her princess dress.

Soon enough my princess stands in front of me looking up with big green eyes. She wears a green princess gown costume and her hair is curled tightly and pinned up. On a jewel in the center of her dress is the picture of Ariel and she wears a little gold trident tiara.

I smile at her and kneel in front of her. I hold out my arm to her. "May I?" I ask in a fancy voice.

She grins up at me and giggles as I scoop her up and onto my hip. I turn towards Clary and offer her my hand as well. "And my queen?" I ask.

She laughs and gently holds out her hand. I kiss it then offer her my arm as we leave the shop to go eat dinner.

Dinner is eventful as we feast on steaks and pasta for Amity. Princesses of all sorts come around to our table and we take endless pictures of them with my own princess. I almost have to fight off a handsy Prince Charming from Clary, but he gets the memo from my glare.

Afterwards we spend another three hours riding rides and eating the best candy apples and popcorn. By the time its nine, Amity is yawning happily and we turn in to our room for the night. The firework show comes at ten thirty and I whisk Clary and Amity towards the view from our window in the castle. I dart into our room and grab something from my bag quickly before returning to the ooh's and ahh's of both my daughter and girlfriend.

It's the grand finale when I take my place for the big surprise. Clary's so caught up in the fireworks and doesn't notice until Amity turns around and hollers. "Daddy what are you doing on the ground?"

I hear Clary gasp at me and my eyes meet hers. This is the moment I know that this is for real. I love Clary and I especially love Amity as she pokes her head out from behind Clary's legs. I rest on one knee, my hands gripping an open ring box like it's my lifeline. "Clare, will you marry me and become my family?" I ask.

Clary stands there in shock. Amity is looking up at her not fully understanding her mother's reaction. "Mommy, I think you're supposed to say yes." She giggles.

Clary nods once, then after a slight pause continues nodding rapidly. "Yes," she mutters.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back and happier and more inspired than ever! School's out and I'm full of new ideas from taking this hiatus, i apologize for that by the way... :)**

**Wedding Part 1**

She looks so gorgeous walking down the aisle. Her nude dress swirls around her ankles, her bare feet porting hot pink nail polish that has chipped off from the rough sand of the beach. Clary had Izzy drop off Amity this morning after pedicures to hang out with us guys and play in the sand while the ladies went on a hair and makeup spree. Now I watch with a proud smile as my daughter comes walking towards me with a basket of shells. There are white Hawaiian flowers in her naturally curly hair that flows down to her elbows.

When she reaches the brown archway threaded with a few lanterns and some bright green seaweed, she takes her place beside Maia at the end of the bridesmaids in identical nude dresses. The girls are all barefoot with their halter dresses flowing down to their knees. Clary had wanted the color to be sea foam green, but Izzy poo-pooed the idea in worry that the bright color would take away attention from Clary.

As if the universe was in time with my mind, Clary stepped out of the large light blue beach house and began walking as my heart was up in my throat. She wore a white beaded mermaid dress with a sweetheart neckline. The fit of the dress stopped about mid-thigh, but in an explosion of tool and an ombre beaded effect, the dress flared out down to the sand. Her dark red hair was curled into a side bun at the base of her neck adorned with three flowers matching Amity's. She wore a pearl necklace and bracelet. We'd opted out of a veil because it would have only been a hassle in the outdoor elements.

She walked with grace and elegance and beauty, but her face had betrayed her the moment she walked out. Her smile was radiant and her cheeks were flushed, humbled at the attention of every guest on the Siesta Beach in Florida. From the pier a few flashes went off from tourists capturing the tiny wedding.

I took a deep breath as she placed her tiny hand in mine, her engagement ring winking up at me in the light of the setting sun.

"We are gathered here today…" the priest began.

Clary winked at me. "Never thought we'd be here, huh?" she asked in a hushed tone.

I looked at my feet momentarily, my neck flushing red underneath my white suit collar. "Never would have thought it a reality. As a kid I prayed for it every night." I sheepishly whispered.

The time comes for the ring exchange, Clary steady and sure, Jace a nervous wreck, almost dropping the ring into the sand below them.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, Jace; you may kiss your bride." The priest grins softly.

I lean in, Clary meeting me eagerly as all control for her perfect bride aura flying out with the wind. She kisses me quickly and roughly, her feet lifted behind her as I swing her up in my arms. She laughs as I set her down, a big "Yuck!" coming from Amity who tugs on her mama's arm and hugs her.

I swing Amity up onto my left hip, offering my right arm to Clary as we make our way back down the aisle and into the hut. In three hours the outside will have been turned from rows of chairs and an altar, into a dance floor and tables with a buffet of popcorn, cookies and out wedding cake.

Inside the house, someone else comes in and Clary turns and grins widely.

"Well, there are the happy newlyweds!" Valentine Morgenstern, the father of the bride greets with a hug to each of us.

**Chapter Song:  
The Only Exception~ Paramore**


	8. Chapter 8

**R&amp;R**

**Wedding Part 2- The Reception**

Outside the ceremony area has turned into a giant white cloth pavilion with nude colored ribbon running from the top of the tent draping around the cloth. A few nude paper lanterns were set up a dull light illuminating the area as the sun has begun to set. White tables and chairs adorned with nude ribbon bows and Mason jar centerpieces are scattered throughout, a giant area for dancing in the middle of the tent.

I turn and head back inside to wait until Clary and I are properly introduced to the reception. I wear a black button down with a nude bowtie and black pants, barefoot. Clary stands next to me with a strong grip on my hand. She wears the same hair and natural makeup, but her dress is a simple white gown with a full floor length skirt. She wears a nude ribbon around her waist, tied in the back with a big bow, the ends draped down a good length of the dress. She wears no shoes, a simple nude headband adorning her red hair instead of the flowers.

She pecks my cheek. "I love you more than you could ever imagine." She states as if it were a fact in the books.

I grin at her playfully. "I love you more than _more_ than you can imagine."

She giggles. "Smartass,"

Suddenly we hear clapping from outside the open door, and Izzy calls into the microphone. "It's my honor to introduce Mr. and _Mrs._ Jace Herondale!"

At our cue, we walk out to the grand staircase leading to the start of the reception tent hand in hand. I help Clare down the stairs in her dress and we run the last little bit onto the dance floor, arms raised in victory above our heads.

Clary laughs easily. "Alright Jace, show me how much those dance lessons Magnus gave you paid off."

The music starts up and I wrap my arms around her waist, spinning slow and swaying to the beat.

_Beauty Queen of only 18,_

_She, had some trouble with herself,_

_He was always there to help her,_

_She, always belonged to someone else…_

"You did not!" Clary giggles in my ear.

I bury my face in her neck. "I couldn't miss the chance. You were actually singing it the night I realized I was completely whipped."

At that she flicks the back of my head. "Well, I'm flattered that you share the same tragic love story as Adam Levine." She says making me chuckle.

"You have no idea…" I murmured.

I twirl her at the high points in the song and dip her at the slow points, but we don't see it as dancing in front of hundreds of people, some of which we don't even know. We're just dancing in this world alone.

When the song ends we go around and greet guests as they congratulate us. Some couples gain the bravery to dance on the dance floor, others, like Jordan and Maia opt to bob their heads and tap their feet from one of the white tables.

Then it's time for the worst part of the reception- the father daughter dance. Clary has always looked to her dad as if he put the sun in the sky and the birds in the air. As they took their place on the dance floor, a few partygoers being shooed to their seats by Izzy, it only makes sense that they picked this song.

_Diamond ring and twelve red roses,_

_Everything she ever wanted,_

_All those dreams and now they're finally here, _

_She's so young and he's so perfect, _

_They waited for love and it was worth it, _

_She wants to feel like this for a hundred years, _

_All this life still yet to live and they can hardly wait, _

_They can laugh, _

_They can cry, _

_The future looks so beautiful and bright, _

_They can dance under the moonlight,_

_'Cause God is smilin' down on them tonight, _

_And she wants to stay right here, _

_Make it last for a hundred more years, _

_She's got blue eyes just like her mother, _

_Three years old, he's crazy for her, _

_He wants to freeze this day before it disappears, _

_She's spinnin' like a little princess, _

_Makin' sure he's gonna notice, _

_He could watch her twirl for a hundred years, _

_She'll grow up and she'll leave home but until that day, _

_They can laugh, _

_They can cry, _

_The future looks so beautiful and bright, _

_They can dance under the moonlight, _

_'Cause God is smilin' down on them tonight, _

_And he wants to stay right here, _

_Make it last for a hundred more years,_

_And its only time, _

_But it flies right by, _

_And today is sweeter than we know,_

_And so they dance under the moonlight, _

_While God is smilin' down on them tonight, _

_And they want to stay right here, _

_For a hundred more years_

By the end of the song there's barely a dry eye in the reception area, including Clare and her father who embrace tightly.

By the end of the night everyone has a buzz around the room, not from any alcohol as me and Clary decided against it, but from love. Girlfriends looked at their partners with buggy eyes that screamed 'I want a wedding'. The elders of the room were beginning talk of babies, some making comments towards us. Clary would turn beet red, but I'd lightly laugh it off with a simple 'someday' as my only reply.

Clary and I are whisked away to a cream yellow 1950 Mercedes Cabriolet decked out with the food cans and noise makers tied to the hitch with cream ribbons. There's a sign on the back that reads "We Just Got Hitched" in bold blue lettering. We hop into the car, Amity waving to us from her grandpa's arms, the small crowd gathered behind them smiling, but visibly tired from the long day.

I drive us down to a smaller hut on a pier out in the water and pull up by the pier. I look over and smile at Clary's awed expression. "Nice! An isolated hut on a private beach- let the lovemaking begin." I snicker.

Clary smacks my arm. "Just carry me down the pier and over the threshold before I turn this car around, Jonathan Herondale."

I salute her and hop out, running around the front and hoisting her into my arms. I carry her down the 50 foot pier and as I cross the threshold, I kiss her passionately. "This… this feels right... this is how it's supposed to be." I say softly setting her down.

She tugs on my bow tie. "Just kiss me, dear mushy husband." She smirks.

I lean down to her. "Hmm," I peck her nose. "as you wish my beautiful wife." And the night progresses on just perfectly.

**Chapter Songs:**

**She Will Be Loved~ Maroon 5 (Jace and Clary's first dance)**

**Hundred More Years~ Francesca Battistelli (father daughter dance) ****_Seriously go listen to this song, because it's sooo pretty. It was in my cousin's wedding and I loveee it!_**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the delay, I was sharing a lap top with my mother for a while, I'm back. READ AND REVIEW MORE CHAPTER IDEAS AND I'LL MENTION YOUR USER IN THE NEXT CHAPTER IF YOUR IDEA WINS :)**

"Jonathan Christopher Wayland Herondale Fray Lightwood!" I hear a shriek as I lounge on the couch.

"Yes dear?" I grimace at her glare.

"I ask you to do one god damn thing around this house but you can't!" She seethes at me.

"Babe! I flushed I swear to god!" I protest.

"Jonathan, three times, _three times_, I asked you to put your dishes in the dish washer instead of on the counter. Its literally a two foot difference!" she argues.

I roll my eyes. Married life was great, but it was too much work. She expects me to pay the bills, pay for our family, satisfy her every need, and now she wants me to do the damn dishes too? "Clarissa, I'm tired. If you haven't noticed I'm working my ass off trying to make sure you have money to put food on those stupid plates!" I shoot back, my voice gradually getting louder.

"Jace, I'm not asking you to do the dishes. I just want one less dish to have to clean up after. It's not that hard. You don't do much anyway around here, it's the least you could do." She tells me matter-of-factly.

I scoff. "I do plenty of shit for you. In fact, I've been your slave ever since we've met in the third grade! Hell, I even raised your child that wasn't even mine in the first place! I didn't need a kid that young! I still don't!" I shout. My voice fades as I realize what I've just said. My mouth drops open and I barely get a peep out before Clary's tears stop me dead in my tracks.

Without a single word towards me she turns on her heel, throws the dish rag at my feet, and darts down the hall into our room. I hear the lock click and I know just how much of an asshole I was.

But what's worse is the little gasp I hear from behind me. Amity, sweet little five year old Amity has heard me. "D-daddy?" she squeaks.

I turn slowly, my shoulders dropped in defeat. "Baby, I'm so-" I start.

Amity had inherited Clary's mind, heart, and sole. So it didn't surprise me when she took off down the hall crying for her mommy. I hear our bedroom door open and shut, muffled cries from inside.

I slump onto the couch with my head in my hands. I love them, I really do, but they don't understand how busy I am for them. I work at the office from 8- 4, then from 4:30- 6:30 I'm helping my grandpa and dad out at the football fields. All so that I can afford to get the best for my daughter and my wife, with an extra financial cushion around us.

I pace up and down the hall until about two in the morning. I slump down into a ball outside of our room where I can hear soft breathing from Clary and Amity's snores.

Finally, at four in the morning, I glance around the house. My shirt, tie, shoes and pants have been strewn across the floor. The remote control lies on the ground next to the couch, a glass of milk that I had gotten a few hours earlier sits on the coffee table. I slowly make my way around the room and pick everything up. Then on my way to the laundry room I see the kitchen was abandoned in Clary's rushing to get away from me.

I clean the kitchen, do the dishes, mop, shine the stainless steel, and wipe the counters. I hang Clary's apron on the hook in the pantry. I fold the laundry and put Amity's away. I sweep the wooden floors and dust the television. Its busy work for my thinking, but its also a promise to Clary that I'll do better now. I know we'll be fine in the end, all married couples have spats, but they always come out stronger in the end.

Lastly, at 7:30 in the morning when I had just finished the last load of Clary and I's laundry, I slowly unlock my bedroom door to find my girls asleep curled up in the exact same position. I put our clothes away, clean up the bathroom, and pull the duvet over Clare and Am. I kiss Amity's forehead and Clary's cheek, taking her hand in mine I whisper. "I'm so sorry, love."

Out in the kitchen, dark bags under my eyes, I make waffles and coffee and juice for my girls. I make eggs for Amity and bacon for Clary and fill the tray with a stack of coloring books and magazines. I put my hand written apology letter on Clary's side of the large serving tray, and I head into the bedroom at 8:30.

I set the tray at the foot of the bed and decide to wake Clary up first. I kneel beside her and run my hand over her cheek. I rest my head on the empty space beside her. "Clary, baby, please wake up for me." I say softly.

I run my hands through her hair and her eyes flutter open. She looks at me with confusion and a whole bunch of hurt. "I locked you out." She whispers, her eyes filling with sad tears.

I sigh. "Baby, forgive me. I know I need to start helping you out. You work so hard to keep Am and I in check. I love you so much, and I know that we'll come out stronger in the end of all of this." I say softly.

She sighs, but turns her nose into the air. "What's that smell?" She asks.

I help her sit up. "Waffles, bacon, eggs, juice, and coffee for my two princesses." I say softly.

She lets out a small smile. "Thanks, baby," she murmurs and kisses me slow and long.

"Mommy, are these for us?" Amity says in delight, breaking up our moment.

I chuckle and crawl over Clary to sit in between them. "Yes sweetheart. It's a special apology from daddy. You know he didn't mean those words right? I love you very much, and now you really are my baby girl." I say with a soft smile.

Amity shrugs. "I know that, daddy. I was just sad that you and mommy were fighting about me." She sniffles.

I hug her tightly, pulling her onto my lap and reaching to pull Clary to my side. "We would never fight about you. We both love you. Mommy was just mad because I've been a mean husband and daddy." I say but look into Clary's eyes.

Clary frowns. "Jace, I only said I wanted you to help out a little more. You're a perfect father to Amity. And you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." She sighs, taking my hand.

I smile softly. "You mean the world to me and I'm determined to show it. I was up all night cleaning everything top to bottom. I'll do this every night if I have to." I say.

Clary springs off the bed, Amity and I following, into the rest of the house. She tours the spotless terrain and turns to me, a huge grin on her face. Wordlessly, she walks into my arms. "I love you so much Jace Christopher Herondale." She says matter-of-factly.

I smile. "I love you too, baby." A silent message is transferred through our eyes, and we all know what's next.

Amity sighs loudly, her little lips in a pout and her arms folded. "Am I going to aunt Izzy's house _again_?"

**Please note the underlined part of the author's note up top :) thanks loves!**


	10. Chapter 10

**So I've decided this weeks winner was ****Cheyashton**** for her brilliant idea, that is loosely this chapter below! Tell me what comes next for a chance to be featured, and just Review in general!**

"Izzy, I promise you, I'm perfectly fine! It's probably just stress from the fight I had with Jace yesterday." I say as I clutch my stomach.

"Are you sure, Clary? You've looked a little pale even before the fight. You're not pregnant are you?" She asks, her eyes doing a visual examination of my body.  
"No way Izzy! I just cycled last Wednesday. Plus, Jace and I haven't really talked about a baby yet. I mean, he wants his own child, and I'm all for it, but we just don't know if it's the right time yet." I explain. I chose the nude pink nail color and glance towards the chair that Amity sits in, waiting for us to join her. She just had her 6th birthday last month. She's growing so fast, I'm not sure if I'm ready to start all over with a newborn. But I'm definitely not mentioning that to Jace. I'm not going to deny him a son or daughter just because I'm nervous to go through it all again.

Amity looks up and beams at me as we walk over and sit in chairs next to her. "Aunty Izzy! The chair moves!" she squeals, pressing the kneading button on the massage chair.

We had gone shopping in the morning to buy Amity some winter clothes while Izzy raided stored of her own. Afterward Izzy insisted we go to the nail salon, which I was hesitant. I've been a lot more tired recently, but I don't know why. I went to the doctor to have some blood drawn about a week ago. I check the time. My test results are ready to be picked up at four, two hours from now.

Izzy blabs on about Alec and Magnus getting closer together, and their possibilities of marriage. She then proceeds in crying to me about how she hasn't found anyone worthy of her. After consolidating her, we decide our nails have dried enough.

"Izzy, we have to head out now, I need to get Amity home before heading for my doctor appointment." I tell her.

Her face brightens up. "Let me take Am! Go have some peace and quiet at the house tonight and maybe get started on my nephew." She winks.

I cough. "Izzy! I told you we haven't talked yet!" I scold, my cheeks turning red.

She frowns and takes Amity's hand. "Then you better get to talking!" She huffs and they leave.

~JC~

I sit in the room that Doctor Carstairs put me in and glance around at the pictures of the human body, both male and female. I take a deep breath as Dr. Carstairs comes in with a folder. He smiles at me politely but sighs. He grabs a rolling chair and pulls it up next to the bed I sit on. "Your test results came in. The symptoms you've been feeling in your abdomen, cramping, spotting, bloating, the frequent bathroom visits, the pressure on your back…" he trails off.

My face turns white. I'm not stupid, I know when doctors have found something concerning. They can't freaking lie to your face. "Yes?" I barely manage to squeak out.

~JC~

I arrive home feeling numb and worried. This could possibly be the worst news ever. I had so many questions that Dr. Carstairs had been great at answering. He also said he wanted me to have a second opinion, so he took some blood and sent it over to a different lab with a different specialist. _It's alright Clary, you could turn out just fine!_ I reassure myself.

I walk up to an empty house and sigh. I wish I could have Jace here with me to help me through it all. I open the door and am met with the scent of roses. I slip my shoes off and feel the silky petals beneath my toes as I follow the trail upstairs. It leads to our bedroom. I smirk as I figure it's just Jace romantically asking to get in my pants, so I run a hand through my hair to mess it up a bit and unbutton the first four buttons of my chambre shirt. I open the door to see- to my slight disappointment- a box on the bed and a note.

_Clare- Bear,_

_Sorry I couldn't be home when you arrived, but I had some things to get done at work, and then run a practice with the pee-wees. I love you so much though, baby. Which is why I need you to meet me at the sticky note's directions at 7 and wear what is in this box. I promise it's in your taste._

_See You Soon Baby Girl,_

_Jace_

I smile a little and tug on the bow. Inside lays a dress. It's got a white lacy capped sleeve top and a nude colored pleated skirt that will look good on my petit figure. A thin orangey-brown belt is meant to tie around the bodice. A pair of nude wedges accompany the dress. I slip the outfit on and part my hair down the middle, curling it loosely. I apply a smokey eyeliner and mascara and leave my lips nude. Finally I grab my car keys and head out.

I follow the stickey note's direction and wind up at the local park in my old childhood neighborhood. I step out and glace around, before spotting blonde curls just peaking over the crest of a hill. I grin and walk briskly towards him, my nose bitten from the chilly fall air.

Jace sits on a picnic blanket with candles and to go containers of Takis. I slip my hands over his eyes. "Guess who?" I ask.

Jace hums. "Sorry Kaeley, I'm a married man now." He chuckles while grabbing my hands in his and uncovering his eyes. He brings me around front of him. He hums again, this one in approval. "I chose well my dear Clarissa." he says.

I smirk. "At leaving Kaeley, or chosing my outfit?"

"Ha. Ha. Good one babe." He claps.

I settle down next to him and he wraps his arms around my shoulders. I rest against him. "Why here?" I ask.

He grins. "Come with me and I'll show you." He stands and takes my hand.

I let him lead me to the third oak tree into the thick forest area. He turns me in his arms by my shoulders, and guides me a few steps back and to the left, under the tree. He steps back. "Hmm, shift once to the right a bit." He says. I follow orders. "No, no, to the left half a shift." He corrects. "Put your hands clasped in front of you." He directs.

"Jace! What is all of this nonsense?" I holler.

He laughs. "That's it!" he shouts, clapping. "That's exactly how you were that night!" He says.

"What night?"

He grins toward the ground. "The night I fell in love with my best friend." He says.

"Who, Kaeley?" I shoot sarcastically.

He laughs and settles his hands on my waist. "Enough about that whore. No, it was freshman homecoming, when your mother forced you into that ridiculously poofy white dress, and I wore a grey suit. We were having pictures taken, and you leaned against this tree and ruined your dress. I laughed and you yelled at me, and I realized there was nowhere in my life I would rather be than with my bitchy, amazing, sweet, funny, beautiful Clarissa Fray." He breathes.

I smile widely. "I like how that's the moment you chose to fall for me. When I'm dirty and grumpy." I fold my arms.

Jace softly smiles. "Even if you did cry for two hours and we ended up watching movies that night instead of dancing." He whispers, leaning in to kiss me.

I pull away. "So where are you going with this? You're not proposing are you? Cause I'm already married." I say coyly.

He takes me in his arms and sways with me. We begin dancing. "I felt like I should share with you, that I knew you were it for me for the longest time now. I was such an ass last night, and I nearly broke down today at the office when I realized that you had every right to walk out of that door." He tells me. "So I called Izzy to get you out of the house for the day and take Am for the night. I need to treat you how I know a husband should be to his wife. You're my only priority tonight. No Amity, no Micha** (this is the husky's name btw)**, just us. I'm so terribly sorry, love." He mumbles.

I smile against his lips as we walk back into the house. Things start to get heated and I remember what Dr. Carstairs instructed of me. Jace grunts when I pull away. "Baby, we can't tonight." I whisper, my voice laced with fear.

Jace frowns. "Is everything alright, Clare?" he asks rubbing his arms up and down. The mood has vanished and in its place sits worry in his eyes.

I sigh, and sit on the bed. My head is in my hands and I run a hand over my tight abdomen. "Doctor Carstairs got the test results in for my bloodwork…" My voice croaks as I feel tears run down my cheeks. "He wants to get a second opinion, but all of my symptoms… they point to…" I take a deep breath and start again. "Jace I might have ovarian cancer."

And tonight, it's Jace who is the first to stifle sobs.

**In memorial of my grandmother, who was taken by ovarian cancer**.


	11. Chapter 11

**I think this was a pretty decent chapter, don't you think? Sorry it's been a while, i've been tossing around ideas for this. Let me know what you think. WARNING: A little on the heavy side. Sorry.**

It's two weeks later that Jace and I find ourselves sitting in Doctor Carstairs' office after being called that the second results were in. That's two weeks of agony and playing it safe with Jace. I remember that I spent those two weeks with Amity and Jace every second of every day just about. With the possibility of cancer hanging over our heads, we weren't about to take anything for granted.

Although we've been enjoying time together as a family, I also noticed the changes in Jace. He seems more tired, not going to sleep until the rest of the household is asleep. He's also been increasingly sensitive as well as constantly scared to let me out of his sight. I can count a few nights where I've closed my eyes to feel shakes running lightly through Jace's body signaling his silent tears.

**Flashback:**

"Jace?" I whisper in the dark.

I hear him clear his throat. "Yeah, babe?" he asks in a thick voice.

I turn over to him after flicking on the bedside lamp. I see him tangled in our navy sheets, wet spots on his pillows as the destination of the wet tracks on his face. His nose is red and he looks to be in absolute agony. "What's wrong, baby?" I ask my sentence breaking at the end.

He takes a deep breath and looks like he wants to speak but physically can't.

I sit up and pull him into my arms, clutching his head to my chest as I rock us side to side. "Jonathan Christopher Wayland you don't need to be afraid for me. I have enough fear for the three of us in this family. We don't even know if the test was even clear enough to be cancer." I start. "But I need you to know, that if it is ovarian cancer, you can bet your ass that I'm going to fight through it. I don't want to leave you just as much as you don't want me to leave. I'm not going anywhere. You don't need to be afraid that every time you close your eyes I could be gone. It takes a while for these things to develop to later stages. And the doctors could be catching it early. If they do, we can get my uterus removed and I'll be just fine." I say the last part with a little hesitation. I know I couldn't ever choose the option to just remove the whole organ. Not before giving Jace the children he deserves.

Jace only cries harder, not making any noise. Eventually he speaks. "I couldn't decide that for you. We haven't ever even talked about having children together yet. I'm just so upset…" he trails off taking a few more breaths. "I can't believe this is- I just-" he seems to be getting even more incoherent.

I smile sadly and wipe his tears, picking his head up to meet my eyes as I stroke his cheek gently. "Take all the time you need, Jace." I whisper.

He chokes back one last sob before saying in a thick, hoarse voice. "I just want to have a normal marriage with you, baby. I want to be able to watch as we have children together- my children. Not that Amity isn't mine, but you know what I mean. I'm just so angry with the universe. Of all people it had to be my Clare. My strong Clarissa Wayland who went through a pregnancy all alone after her bastard boyfriend left. My Clary who before we went to prom had two surgeries on her broken arms, all four of her wisdom teeth removed, and the death of her beloved kitten, Squeak. But mostly, my dearest wife who had kept her head up through all of that, and never once cursed anyone for her shitty fate. And for that I wish I could go into your body and scream at this disease to get out of you because you sure as hell deserve a break from all of this pain." When he finishes his speech we're left in tears the rest of the night, holding each other close and talking about everything and nothing in broken squeaks and voices.

**End Flashback**

Today when we get inside the office there is a blonde lady with blue eyes and a slim face. She looks striking, yet gives off an air of friendliness. Jace and I take a seat.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Wayland. Clary it's great to see you again. Feeling any different since I last saw you?" He asks. I just shake my head and hold Jace's hand a little tighter. "So today I wanted to confirm that I'm sorry, your test results were positive. You have stage one ovarian cancer." He explains.

I hear Jace swallow hard next to me, probably trying to mask the tears. I just sit numbly as realization sinks of the war I'm about to fight. "Alright, what's next, when can we start fighting back?" I ask, looking straight into Dr. Carstairs' eyes.

His lips twitch quickly into a smile. "That's the spirit. Now, there are two simple procedures for fighting off this early stage quickly and efficiently. Option one is total removal of the uterus. Although it is a permanent end to a lot of normal processes, like your menstrual cycle as well as leaving no chance of pregnancy, it also is the safest thing to do. It will completely wipe out the cancer in the target area as well as the surrounding contamination that could develop." He explains.

Jace bights his lip and looks down sadly. It means Jace will never have a child. He'll never get an opportunity to experience watching his own flesh and blood grow. It will cause the Wayland bloodline to completely die out, and that would be a shame to the universe. "And the second option?" I ask, waiting for him to continue as I see Jace turn his head towards me, a little hope left in his eyes.

The second lady nods before explaining. "It seems that as of right now, the cancer is located solely on your left ovary. Therefore we have the option of shutting your left fallopian tube near the uterus and removing the tube ovary. However, this has the risk of an undetected cancer being spread and future removal of the entire organ." She informs.

Jace puts an arm around me, tugging me into his side a little. It's like he knows the questions in my head. "What will this cause if we want to have children? Aren't there risks to the baby? Does it lower our chances of even conceiving naturally?" He asks shakily.

She shakes her head a little. "It will have no effect on the fetus. Once the fertilized egg had attached to the wall of the uterus, the fallopian tubes and ovaries aren't in action for the entirety of the pregnancy. However your chances of natural conception do decrease. Typically, half of the female's eggs are held in one ovary, the other half in the other ovary. Therefore, by removing the ovary, we get rid of half of the eggs. Half of the eggs mean a 50% chance of conception." She says solemnly.

Jace takes a deep breath. "How do we win this without ruining our goals then?" he says. I know he's already feeling defeated. If we can't get pregnant either way, then what's the point of even trying?

She smiles sadly. "If it's any consolation, the second option is a lot more efficient for you two. Though there are risks, you could always have the uterus removed after you've decided to stop having children. But think of it this way. This option allows for an average 50% conception rate. IVF has about a 35% chance of even working. So you're chances are still not the lowest. But we're here to support you both in your walk through this. There's also radiation, but that is a much tougher battle to fight- chemo on top of the risks that the radiation could have on even future children. These options are the safest." The woman says.

I turn to Dr. Carstairs. "When do I need to have a decision?" I ask.

He smiles encouragingly. "I would get back within a week, so that we can take action while it's still early on. We still have to worry about your own health on top of everything." He says before standing. "If you've decided, call and let me know so we can arrange appointments as necessary. I wish you both the best of luck." He says, before both doctors leave.

~JC~

That night we drop off Amity at Izzy's house so we can talk. We don't want Amity knowing any details of how serious my sickness is. As I settle into bed with Jace, my back to his front with his arms round me and his lips pressing kisses to my neck, I sigh.

"I think I want to go with the ovary removal. It just seems like the best thing to do." I say too lazy to go into detail.

Jace pauses his lips. "Clary, it's a risk though. If there's still cancer in a secret place somewhere else, it could be too late for you." He says gently.

I roll to face him, and place my had on his chest. I bury my face in his neck. "Jace, I want to give you children. I need to. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me and I need to show you that I love and appreciate you. Besides, I've been thinking. It's such a great adventure, to raise a newborn. Because at the end of it all, they'll grow up as a reflection of everything you've taught them, and they'll learn to love as intensely as you love them." I whisper. I smile softly. "I want to have a baby with _you_, Jace. You're the love of my life and I want to create the most beautiful thing with _you_." I mumble as I lean in to meet his lips to mine.

He pulls away after a while. "I love you Clary, but I care more about keeping you around then having a baby. I will be just as happy with 100 children as I would be with just having Amity." He replies, stroking my arm.

I shiver at the intimacy of our discussion. Talking of the future only makes me want this more. "I'll be fine, baby. I promise. I want to try it out. If we can't conceive, and find new cancer develop, we'll have my entire uterus removed as soon as we can. I just want to try for you." I tell him determined to make him agree.

His lips slowly stretch into a smile, the pain in his eyes diminishing just a slight amount. "I love you Clarissa Wayland." He laughs. "I love you so much. And I'll support you in this. I promise." He says, holding back a yawn, but failing.

I smile as I snuggle closer and settle in for much needed rest. Just before I fall asleep I hear him whisper against my ear.

"Thank you, baby. Thank you so much for this life."


End file.
